Tag: Civil Rights

DURBIN, MERKLEY LEAD BICAMERAL COLLEAGUES IN COMMENT IN SUPPORT OF BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S PROPOSAL TO CODIFY FLORES SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT

December 5, 2023

Lawmakers submit comment regarding HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement’s proposed rule, “Unaccompanied Children Foundational Rule” WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) led 14 colleagues in submitting a bicameral comment regarding the Department of Health and

In Midst of Busy Travel Season, Merkley, Kennedy, Colleagues Sound Alarm on TSA Collection of Facial Biometric Data

November 29, 2023

Senators introduce bipartisan legislation to ban collection of biometric data at U.S. airports Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley joined forces with Senators John Kennedy (R-LA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to introduce the bipartisan Traveler Privacy Protection Act.

Sen. Jeff Merkley Holds TSA Accountable on Facial Recognition

July 31, 2023

Senator Merkley was at Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday, July 28, 2023 and recounts his experience with TSA’s use of facial recognition technology. Read more about Sen. Merkley’s previous encounter with TSA facial recognition technology: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/11/tsa-airport-security-facial-recognition/

Senator Merkley Holds TSA Accountable for Facial Recognition Use

July 27, 2023

Senator Merkley was back at Reagan Washington National Airport on Friday to hold the TSA accountable for their practices on using facial recognition technology, which the agency claims is “voluntary.” Know that you can refuse to use facial recognition technology at the airport and you should be easily accommodated by

Senator Jeff Merkley Slams TSA for Lack of Transparency on Facial Recognition

July 19, 2023

Senator Merkley details his experience with facial recognition at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Read more about Sen. Merkley’s recent experience when refusing to use facial recognition technology: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/07/11/tsa-airport-security-facial-recognition/

Senator Merkley Reintroduces the Equality Act

June 21, 2023

On June 21, 2023, Senator Merkley announced the introduction of the Equality Act, bicameral legislation to ban discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans. Learn more about the Equality Act: https://www.merkley.senate.gov/news/press-releases/as-states-across-the-country-strip-away-lgbtq-rights-merkley-baldwin-booker-takano-introduce-urgently-needed-protections-through-the-equality-act

Senator Jeff Merkley Testifies in Support of SAFE Banking Act

May 11, 2023

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley spoke in support of the bipartisan SAFE Banking Act at a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing titled, “Examining Cannabis Banking Challenges of Small Businesses and Workers” on May 11, 2023. Senator Merkley and Montana Senator Steve Daines introduced the SAFE Banking

Merkley’s Statement on Black History Month

February 1, 2022

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley released the following statement today regarding the start of Black History Month: “Today marks the beginning of this year’s Black History Month. February is a time for all of us to recognize the indelible impact that Black Americans have made on our

Merkley to Join President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in Visit to Georgia to Discuss the Importance of Protecting Voting Rights

January 11, 2022

Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced today he will be traveling with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to Atlanta, Georgia to highlight the importance and urgency of passing voting rights legislation and protecting Americans’ sacred right to vote. “This is a critical moment in

Following Senate Action on Freedom to Vote Act, Merkley Keeps Pressure Up on Protecting Americans’ Democratic Rights

October 20, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley issued the following statement after Senate Republicans refused to proceed to debate and filibustered the first Senate vote on the Freedom to Vote Act. Merkley has been helping to lead negotiations within the Senate on legislation that would protect Americans’ freedom to